What do I feed it? Planning meals for your toddler

Mom…ham and goldfish aren’t really going to cut it

Now that C is officially a toddler, I’ve been having a hard time transitioning to a new routine when it comes to meal time. Our little gal has moved on from her once texture-averse state and is now a full-on eater of foods. It took about 2 weeks of her refusing her purée at dinner for me to realize that — hey! — my baby isn’t a baby anymore, and it’s time to eat some real stuff. PS, she’s been eating the full menu at school for weeks, so I have no idea why my brain had a hard time processing this (perhaps it’s another symptom of momnesia).

Once my epiphany struck, I realized that it’s time to do something that has been on my mommy to-do list since I first found out I was going to be one: make dinner for my family every night. My goal is to find easy, healthy, week-night dinners that are right for C’s current eating habits, but also appropriate for hubby and I. Eating dinner together is something that we did in my household growing up every night, and an event that I want to uphold with my new little family. Now, this may sound like an easy task, but since forever, hubby has filled the role of chef in our family. I have big shoes to fill. Not to mention the logistics — how am I supposed to go to work, pick up the little at school, come home and make dinner by 6:30 (when C’s nightly bedtime routine begins)?

My first dinner triumph

Luckily, my friend Claudia is a whiz in the kitchen (I can’t wait to show you the awesome cake she whipped up for C’s birthday!), and she gave me a couple of pro tips on how to accomplish what to me, is a daunting task. This advice helped me so much, she agreed that I should share it with you, lovely readers. Behold:

• Instead of conforming to a child’s diet, choose meals that everyone can eat and enjoy. For example, if you’re having a pasta dish, choose something like penne — as opposed to cartoon-shaped macaroni– that is easy for a toddler to pick up, but still appealing to adults. Rather than chicken nuggets, make chicken as you normally would and cut it into manageable pieces for baby. You can throw in some fruit or cheese as an extra for the little, and put some extra spices/flavor on the adult portions, if need be.
• Don’t attempt more than 2-3 recipes a week. Trying to cook from a recipe is usually a little more complicated and time-consuming. To keep things low-key as a beginner, don’t try to whip up masterpieces every night. Start slow, and get comfortable in the kitchen before you weave lots of new recipes into your weekly routine.
• When in doubt, choose a lean protein and a veggie. And bake them! Baking is super easy and yields minimal mess. And who doesn’t love a nice roasted chicken breast and mixed vegetables? For C’s tastes, this is a no brainer because she loves sweet potatoes, carrots and other veggies that taste yummy after some time in the oven.

Armed with Claudia’s tips, my first week of the new dinner routine was mostly a success! Besides C eating a morsel of dog food when I was busy fiddling with cooking, and the occasional tantrum because we didn’t eat early enough, things have gone very well. Fingers crossed I can keep it up!

How do you approach meal planning for your family?